Combination gas-operated firearm and bomb or grenade thrower



Nov. 17, 1964 P. c. BERETTA COMBINATION GAS-OPERATED FIREARM AND BOMB OR GRENADE THROWER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18. 1962 INVENTOR. 7% Qrle Bereflb.

Nov. 17, 1964 P. c. BERETTA 3,156,992

COMBINATION GAS-OPERATED FIREARM AND BOMB OR GRENADE THROWER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18. 1962 INVENTOR. fi'er Carlo ficrabb Atforny 3,156,992 CGMBINATEGN GAS-UPERATED FIREARM AND 39MB R -QRENADE THROWER Pier Carlo Eeretta, Gardens Val Trompia, Erescia, itaiy, assignor to Fahhrica DArmi P. Beretta .p.A., Gardone Val llrompia, isrescia, Italy, a comp-any of Italy Filed Sept. 18, I962, Ser. No. 224,3?8 tllaims priority, application Italy, Sept. 29, 1961, 17,659/61 2 Claims. (Ci. 42 B This invention relates to a device the object whereof is to transform, when occasion demands, a firearm operating by gas intake (as a rifle, pistol, etc.) into a bombthrower or grenade-thrower by making use, to propel the bomb which is installed on the mouth of the barrel, of the gases generated by the explosion of the cartridge. In order to obtain the maximum throwing effect, it is necessary, for such occasionaluse of the firearm, that the whole volume of the explosion gases be made available at the mouth of the barrel in order to act on the mass of the bomb; and it is therefore necessary that the gas intake designed to operate the various mechanisms of the firearm in the normal functioning thereof, be closed by means of a control which is easy to operate and reliable in its working, even in the presence of incrustations, residues, etc., due to the combustion of the explosive.

The device, which will now be described, has been designed particularly for fitment to the Garand rifle (US.

0211. M1 Garand rifle) or to weapons operating according to the Garand system of working. But nonetheless, the device can also be fitted to other weapons likewise operated by gases derived from the barrel. The following description must therefore be taken to be purely illustrative.

it is known that on the Garand rifle, the gas intake consists of a passage bored radially in the thickness of the barrel near the muzzle thereof, and that said passage communicates with the inside of the gas intake cylinder situated underneath the barrel, in which cylinder runs the piston which operates the mechanism for automatically actuating the weapon. In the original Garand rifle, the passage of the gas from the barrel to the cylinder therebelow can be intercepted, whenever it isrdesired to make the original bomb-thrower of the weapon ready for action,

by means of a valve fitted to the front end of said cylinder. Said valve, the functioning of which is delicate and liable to obstruction, only allows, however, part of the gases generated by the explosion of the cartridge to be dissipated into the atmosphere, with the result that these gases are not fully utilized for the purpose of throwing the bomb.

In the invention herein described, the passage 'of the gases from the barrel to the cylinder is provided in a much more simple and radical manner by means of the insertion between the barrel and the cylinder of a revolvable, horizontal pin, diametrally pierced to correspond with the barrel gas intake passage. This pin can be manually rotated by the shooter and, according to the angle of rotation, allows or intercepts the passage of the gases from the barrel to the gas intake cylinder. In this manner, the weapon can be made to function as a rifle or as a bomb-thrower at will, the gases generated being obliged, in the latter case, to come out from the mouth of the barrel and act on the bomb which has been installed thereon, imparting to said bomb the greatest possible thrust, and hence the greatest throw.

In order to increase ease of handling, the rotation of said pin has been mechanically linked to the rotation, into and out of a vertical plane, of the bombsight with which the weapon is provided in order'to obtain correct employment thereof also as a bomb-thrower. Said sight is pivoted transversely in the vicinity of thebarrel muzzle ice and can, at the will of the firer, assume two positions: horizontal when the weapon is .to function as a rifle, and vertical (at 90 to the barrel) when the weapon is to function as a bomb-thrower.

In the attached drawing, FIG. 1 shows an axial section of the device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, but showing the bombsight in its elevated position; and FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but the bombsight in its lowered or inactive position.

With reference to the embodiment illustrated as an example in the sheets of drawings attached hereto: In FIG. 1 there is shown the longitudinal axial crosssection' of the device when the weapon (cal. 30 M-l Garand rifle) is set up for functioning as a rifle. In this drawing the numeral 1 indicates the barrel of the weapon, which is pierced with a radial passage 2. for conveying the portion of gas derived from the explosion of a cartridge to a diametral passage 4 pierced in the body of a transverse rcvolvable pin 3. The gas then passes through a radial opening 9 made in the thickness of the gas intake cylinder 5, into the inside of the cylinder to actuate the mechanisms provided for the functioning of the rifle. On the mouth of the barrel, and as a prolungation thereof, there is fitted the short funnel 6 designed to support the bomb to be thrown. It should be observed that this extension is constructed and fitted to the barrel in such a manner that it will not interfere with the functioning of the weapon as a rifle.

Above the barrel and in the vicinity of the front sight there is mounted a bombsight 7 to be used in the case Where the Weapon is used also as a bomb-thrower. This sight, which is provided with suitable aiming notches, has the object of permitting the correct aiming of the bomb in relation to the various throwing distances provided for, and can be changed, by manual'operation as 'hereinbefore stated, from the horizontal to the vertical position (the latter being shown in broken lines in FIG- URE l and relating to the functioning of the weapon as a bomb-thrower). The axis of rotation of the aforesaid bombsight coincides with the transverse revolvable pin 3 hereinbefore referred to, with which the bombsight is made integral through its lower lug, so that to an angular shift ofthe bombsight there corresponds an equal angular Shift of the pin and, as a consequence, of the diametral passage 4 pierced in said pin. The two parts aforesaid are so fitted that the horizontal position of bombsight 7 corresponds to the vertical position of passage 4, and the vertical position of the former corresponds to the horizontal position of the latter. Consequently, in the first case (FIG. 3), the derived gases from the barrel are enabled to pass into the gas intake cylinder, whilst in the second case (FIG. 2) this passage is intercepted, as is required for the modes of functioning of the weapon in the two manners provided for.

The transverse section of FIG. 2 illustrates the arrangei ment of the aforesaid parts in the case where the bombsight 7 is set in the vertical position; and the revolvable pin 3 is correspondingly rotated so that the diametral passage 4 thereof assumes the horizontal position, thus gases from the barrel into the gas intake cylinder.

An examination of the transverse cross-section shown in FIG. 3 shows, on the other hand, that to the horizontal position of bombsight 7 there corresponds the vertical position of passage 4, which thus enables the gases to pass between the barrel and the cylinder aforesaid.

I claim:

1. The combination with a gas-operated firearm, having (a) a gun barrel which has a port in its annular wall adjacent the muzzle end thereof,

' (e) a cylindrical pin rotatably mounted between said barrel and cylinder to rotate about an axis transverse to the axes of said barrel and cylinder, and

(f) a manually operable lever secured to said pin to pivot about the first-namedaxis between an inactive position in which it extends over the top of said barrel parallel thereto, and an active position in which it projects upwardly from the top of said "'"ibarre'l normal thereto,

(g) ,said pin having therethrough a transverse passage, (h) said passage registering with said ports to connect the same and to conduct the gas of explosion through said ports to said cylinder when said lever is in its inactive position, and said lever being operative upon movement to its active position to rotate said pin so that said passage is moved out of registry with said ports thereby to close off the connection between said ports whereby the force of the gas of explosion will be concentrated on a bomb or grenade mounted in said holder.

'2. The combination firearm claimed in claim 1, wherein (a) said lever is, part of the aiming gear for the weapon when used as a bomb or grenade thrower, and

(b) is operative in its active position to cause said weapon to operate as a grenade thrower, and in its inactive position to cause it to operate in conventional manner as an automatic firearm. 4

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Balleisen, Feb. 1, 1944 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A GAS-OPERATED FIREARM, HAVING (A) A GUN BARREL WHICH HAS A PORT IN ITS ANNULAR WALL ADJACENT THE MUZZLE END THEREOF, (B) A CYLINDER MOUNTED BENEATH SAID BARREL TO HOLD THE GAS-OPERATED MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING THE FIREARM, (C) SAID CYLINDER HAVING THROUGH ITS WALL A PORT, AND (D) A TUBULAR GRENADE AND BOMB HOLDER MOUNTED ON SAID BARREL WITH ITS BORE ALIGNING WITH THE BORE OF SAID BARREL AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE MOUTH OF SAID BARREL, OF (E) A CYLINDRICAL PIN ROTATABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID BARREL AND CYLINDER TO ROTATE ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE AXES OF SAID BARREL AND CYLINDER, AND (F) A MANUALLY OPERABLE LEVER SECURED TO SAID PIN TO PIVOT ABOUT THE FIRST-NAMED AXIS BETWEEN AN INACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT EXTENDS OVER THE TOP OF SAID BARREL PARALLEL THERETO, AND AN ACTIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT PROJECTS UPWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF SAID BARREL NORMAL THERETO, (G) SAID PIN HAVING THERETHROUGH A TRANSVERSE PASSAGE, (H) SAID PASSAGE REGISTERING WITH SAID PORTS TO CONNECT THE SAME AND TO CONDUCT THE GAS OF EXPLOSION THROUGH SAID PORTS TO SAID CYLINDER WHEN SAID LEVER IS IN ITS INACTIVE POSITION, AND SAID LEVER BEING OPERATIVE UPON MOVEMENT TO ITS ACTIVE POSITION TO ROTATE SAID PIN SO THAT SAID PASSAGE IS MOVED OUT OF REGISTRY WITH SAID PORTS THEREBY TO CLOSE OFF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID PORTS WHEREBY THE FORCE OF THE GAS OF EXPLOSION WILL BE CONCENTRATED ON A BOMB OR GRENADE MOUNTED IN SAID HOLDER. 